Dragon Playing with Pearls
Made primarily with Longchi crucian carp and shrimp, prepared by pan-frying and simmering in broth. The soup is milky white, and the shrimp balls are tender and silky.
Ingredients
Live Longchi crucian carp
500 g
Shrimp meat
150 g
Raw pork fat
25 g
Cooked ham
40 g
Egg white
1
Scallion
1
Ginger
1 slices
Shaoxing wine
15 g
Fine salt
2.5 g
MSG
1.5 g
Dry starch
1 g
Lard
50 g
Water (for blanching shrimp balls)
500 g
Boiling water (for cooking fish)
1 kg
Instructions
1
Ingredient Preparation
Scale, remove the gills and innards of the live crucian carp; wash and drain. Wash and drain the shrimp meat and pork fat separately; wash the scallion and ginger. Beat the egg white in a bowl until loose.
2
Making Shrimp Paste
Finely mince the shrimp meat and pork fat separately, then combine them in the egg white bowl. Add 0.5 g fine salt, 5 g Shaoxing wine, 0.5 g MSG, and dry starch; stir vigorously in one direction until the mixture becomes sticky and elastic, forming the shrimp paste.
3
Blanching Shrimp Pearls
Place a wok over heat and add 500 g water. Squeeze the shrimp paste into 16 small round balls. When the water comes to a boil, skim off the foam, reduce to low heat, and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove the balls as shrimp pearls.
4
Cooking the Fish and Assembling
Place a wok over heat, add the lard, and heat until hot. Add the crucian carp and lightly pan-fry both sides. Pour in 1 kg boiling water, then add the scallion, ginger, and 10 g Shaoxing wine. Cover and simmer until the broth turns milky white. Add 2 g fine salt, 1 g MSG, and the shrimp pearls; bring to a boil, then remove from heat. First transfer the crucian carp into a soup tureen, lay the ham over the top, then arrange the shrimp pearls on both sides of the carp. Finally, pour the broth gently along the inside edge of the tureen.
